Blue waves behind the words Coast Colleges in dark blue

Weekly News Brief | September 30, 2022
From the Office of Chancellor Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
Chancellor Yamamura in front of the District Office

Watching developments in Ukraine and Iran, I feel a great deal of sadness and concern. I also note that war and strife exacerbate worldwide food, energy, and economic inequities. Beyond man-made disasters, we face artificially supercharged natural disasters from catastrophic flooding in Pakistan to the catastrophic hurricane impacting Florida and its neighboring region. The images of receding waters bring to my mind the devastation from the 2011 tsunami in Japan and subsequent nuclear disaster.

With possible exception of the native and indigenous peoples of this state, we Californians often still hear the call of an ancestral homeland in another part of the world. Our ties to that place can be quite strong, reinforced by family and friends who still live there. Empathy should extend to all humanity, yet it is also deeply human to feel intense pain when the people of our ancestral homes are suffering.

It is okay not to be okay. That "not okay" can take the form of being personally overwhelmed. We have the Employee Assistance Program available for use, and we should also be free to share these emotions with each other in caring dialogue. "Not okay" may also mean challenging the injustices we see manifesting in the world, using whatever forms of expression our training and talents provide.

In reading historical writings from a fair number of sources, I find that disasters of human making and of nature are a part of the lived experience in every generation. I do not have the credentials to declare today a more or less troubled time than those earlier eras, but in many ways that does not matter. We are called upon to face the challenges of this era. Let's do so together, supporting those who are grieving loss and those who are leading the cause of a better future.

With gratitude,

 Whitney

Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
Chancellor

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated September 15 through October 15. This year's theme is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. All faculty, students, and staff are invited to celebrate through music, dance, and healing.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year's theme is Everyone Knows Someone. All faculty, students, and staff are invited to join in a community of safety and support.

 

Partnering Across the African Diaspora

Appreciation to the six delegates who participated in the historical and monumental A2MEND experience in Ghana. Three faculty members and three managers worked to build partnerships across the African diaspora in partnership with independent Black educational institutions such as the University of Cape Coast, the location of the summit. Delegates gained information and best practices for embedding African centered pedagogy and curriculum in colleges to serve and educate all students, in addition to building a global think tank to advise leaders of educational organizations.

The delegates from the District were:

  • Dr. Dana Emerson, Dean of Instruction, Umoja Co-coordinator, Coastline College
  • Michael Scott, Director of Adult Education, Coastline College
  • Avery Caldwell, faculty in Career and Technical Education, Golden West College
  • Tanisha Bradfield, Director of Financial Aid, Orange Coast College
  • Dr. Rendell Drew, faculty in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Orange Coast College
  • Andrea Eke-Amacker, Counselor, EOPS & Umoja Coordinator, Orange Coast College

 

College News


COASTLINE COLLEGE
Coastline College's adopted dolphin, Johnny, has been set free. Johnny is an older dolphin who lived several years in isolation in a shallow pool. During his time as a performing dolphin, he lost his eyesight and all of his teeth, and his right pectoral fin was permanently damaged. Following his rescue and relocation to the Umah Lumba Center, he gained weight and strength and experienced the natural rhythms and sounds of the sea. After a clean bill of health, the sea gates of the center were opened. Never again will Johnny have to perform tricks for food or be confined in a concrete tank.

 

The words Coastline College above a shield with the letter C.

GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE

Meet Golden West College faculty members. Videos were created to help students learn more about offered programs from the faculty that teach the classes.

 

A circle with the words Golden West College, Huntington Beach, on the outside with a central surfboard and the letters GWC.

 

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE

Orange Coast College's Counseling Latinos for Equity and Engagement (CLEEO) project will screen a documentary titled Mariposas del Campo on Wednesday, October 5. Mariposas del Campo highlights the stories and experiences of indigenous teenagers from Mexico who are striving to change their families' destinies in the strawberry fields of Oxnard, California. Through a stormy year of sanctioned racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, Mariposas del Campo captures their journeys – with help from the characters' own videos – as they navigate cultural identity, parental expectations, economic challenges, and the justice needs of their migrant farmworker community.

 

An Orange circle forming an O with two interior waves in dark blue forming two C shapes.
Woman working in a strawberry field

 

 

Schedule, Week of October 3


Board of Trustees
The next regular meeting will be held Thursday, October 6, with closed session beginning at 4:00 p.m. and open session at 5:00 p.m. Meeting date moved in observance of Yom Kippur.


Chancellor
Dr. Yamamura is in the District, Monday through Friday

 


publicaffairs@cccd.edu

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